The Young Master

In front of Hundred Herb Hall.

Jiang Che stared blankly at the sign bearing the three words "Hundred Herb Hall."

This was actually the pharmacy where he had previously asked about poison!

"This..."

Jiang Che immediately felt somewhat awkward, and his steps slowed.

Zhang Xiong was utterly unaware of Jiang Che's discomfort and strode inside.

Helpless, Jiang Che could only follow.

"Uncle Zhou!"

Zhang Xiong greeted the elderly man with the goat beard.

The old man was weighing medicine. When he saw Zhang Xiong arrive, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Young Master, you're here!"

Then he saw Jiang Che enter as well.

Since Jiang Che had not followed immediately and the two were not walking side by side, he assumed Jiang Che had come to buy poison again. His brows furrowed.

"That customer, I truly don't have the medicine you described. Please leave."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiong turned around curiously. "Medicine? Junior Brother Jiang, did you come here to buy medicine?"

Jiang Che smiled awkwardly. "I just wanted to buy some... uh, medicine that could temporarily numb someone..."

"Poison, right?" Zhang Xiong immediately understood and lowered his voice.

"Young Master, this gentleman is...?" Uncle Zhou hesitated when he noticed that the two knew each other.

"Oh! He's a junior brother from my Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Che. One of us! I brought him here to buy some Exotic Beast Meat."

Zhang Xiong deliberately stressed the words "one of us."

"So it is Young Master Jiang." Uncle Zhou's expression softened somewhat. "Then what kind of Exotic Beast Meat would you like to buy?"

"It's Junior Brother Jiang's first time buying Exotic Beast Meat, so bring everything out for him to see," Zhang Xiong instructed.

"Yes, Young Master!" Uncle Zhou turned and headed for the storeroom in the rear courtyard.

Once Uncle Zhou had left, Zhang Xiong lowered his voice.

"Junior Brother Jiang, pharmacies actually keep some poison on hand. But they generally don't sell it to outsiders. It's usually for their own use or reserved for regular customers. You came in as a stranger asking to buy it, so naturally they wouldn't sell it to you."

"I understand. I was presumptuous." Jiang Che smiled sheepishly.

"It's not really your fault. If it's used for self-defense, it's excellent. It's just that the authorities regulate it strictly, so pharmacies don't dare sell it." Zhang Xiong shook his head.

Before long, Uncle Zhou came over carrying a large wooden box.

It was divided into little compartments filled with black, long strips of dried meat in various colors. It was impossible to tell what animals they had come from.

"Young Master Jiang, this is all the Exotic Beast Meat we have here. Allow me to introduce them."

Then Uncle Zhou began introducing them one by one.

They were all Low-Grade Exotic Beast Meat jerky.

There were rodent-type Exotic Beasts, canine-type Exotic Beasts, snake-type Exotic Beasts, pig-type Exotic Beasts, and more.

Jiang Che's eyes were opened wide. He marveled at how many varieties of Exotic Beasts there were.

He listened carefully, occasionally picking up a strip to smell and inspect it.

But Jiang Che discovered that every strip of jerky smelled intensely fishy and gamey. Not one of them smelled pleasant.

They probably would not taste very good either.

"What is the difference between these different kinds of Exotic Beast Meat?" Jiang Che did not understand, so he could only ask.

"Mainly, it's a difference in taste... though of course, each has its own particular way of tasting awful."

Zhang Xiong said with a smile.

"Also, people who cultivate different martial arts have somewhat different types of Qi-Blood. So after eating different Exotic Beast Meat, the effects vary from person to person."

He picked up a strip of jerky that was black with a reddish hue. "I've tried all of these. I feel that this Pig-Sheep Beast jerky works best. It stimulates the Qi-Blood of our Layered Cloud Fist the most."

Jiang Che nodded. Then he would buy this one later.

"However," Zhang Xiong abruptly changed the subject, "different people have different constitutions. I've seen disciples from the same sect who were suited to different kinds of Exotic Beast Meat. I suggest buying a little of each and testing them yourself at home."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Zhang!" Jiang Che said gratefully.

If he had come alone, he would never have known this information.

So Jiang Che selected some of every kind, though he took relatively more Pig-Sheep Beast jerky.

After all, he had eaten it yesterday, and its effects had been quite good.

He just did not know whether the other Exotic Beast Meats might work even better.

Uncle Zhou wrapped them in oiled paper, tied the packages tightly with thin hemp rope, and handed them over.

"Young Master Jiang, this jerky is cooked, so you can eat it directly, which is more convenient. You can also chop it up for soup, or steam it before stir-frying it with vegetables. Adding seasonings will make it easier to swallow," Uncle Zhou advised.

"Thank you! How much is it?" Jiang Che accepted the packages and took out silver from his robes.

"It's ten taels of silver per jin for outsiders, but for you... eight taels will do!" Zhang Xiong said in a lowered voice.

Uncle Zhou frowned at this but said nothing.

Jiang Che felt grateful. He knew Zhang Xiong had given him a considerable discount.

So he took out eight taels of silver and handed them over.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang. Uncle Zhou, I'll take my leave first!"

Jiang Che clasped his fists.

"Wait a moment." Zhang Xiong suddenly stopped Jiang Che.

He went to the storeroom in the rear courtyard, apparently looking for something.

Before long, he returned with two small paper packets.

"These contain... the kind of medicine you wanted. The green powder can numb someone—it's poison. The white powder is the antidote. Don't mix them up. This works on anyone below the Iron Skin Realm. It's perfect for self-defense." Zhang Xiong lowered his voice.

Jiang Che's eyes lit up. This was exactly what he needed!

"How much silver? It's just that I don't have much money left now..."

Jiang Che only had eight taels left, and he was worried it would not be enough.

"No need for money. It's a gift! This stuff costs very little. When we gather herbs, we collect some along the way to keep as a reserve. We just normally don't sell it outside."

"How can that be? You already gave such a large discount on the Exotic Beast Meat. I should still pay you!" Jiang Che insisted.

But Zhang Xiong refused no matter what.

Jiang Che could only accept them, and he gained a deeper understanding of Zhang Xiong's character.

Though he looked rough and seemed like a martial arts fanatic, he was actually thoughtful and treated his friends extremely well.

Jiang Che clasped his fists and said solemnly, "Then I won't stand on ceremony! I, Jiang Che, will remember Senior Brother Zhang's kindness today for the rest of my life!"

With that, he carefully tucked the medicine packets into the pocket inside his robes and left.

Once Jiang Che had gone far away, Uncle Zhou sighed.

"Young Master, you always bring people to the pharmacy. Either you sell things to them at cost, or you give them something for free.

"But can those people truly remember your kindness? Have you forgotten that boy surnamed Li? He said his family was seriously ill, and we practically gave him so much medicine for nothing. Yet he had no family at all—he turned around and sold it at a high price!"

Zhang Xiong shook his head.

"Uncle Zhou, I believe that treating others with sincerity will eventually bring returns. Besides, what I give away is merely petty profit, and it does not greatly affect our pharmacy.

"Our pharmacy is doing fine now, but I see the city growing more and more chaotic. What if one day the pharmacy can no longer keep going and falls into hardship?

"Even if only one out of a hundred people can lend us a hand at a critical moment, I believe it will be worth it!"

"But that boy's Qi-Blood is depleted, and he was sneaking around to buy poison..." Uncle Zhou said hesitantly.

"Uncle Zhou, do you know that my breakthrough into the Blood-Qi Realm some time ago was actually thanks to Jiang Che?" Zhang Xiong's expression turned serious.

"Oh? Why was that?" Uncle Zhou asked doubtfully.

"In the eyes of outsiders, Jiang Che's Qi-Blood is depleted. He is nothing more than a useless good-for-nothing who would collapse at the first blow.

"At first, I thought so too...

"But when I truly exchanged blows with him, I discovered just how outrageously wrong I had been!"

Zhang Xiong suddenly clenched his fists, and a flash of shock passed through his eyes.

"His attainment in fist techniques far surpassed my imagination! That most basic Entry Realm fist technique actually reached such a realm in his hands!

"Every one of his moves and forms was incomparably exquisite. Isn't that precisely the martial path I seek?

"Therefore, I believe he will certainly achieve something in the future!"

After saying that, Zhang Xiong gazed at Jiang Che's distant back, his eyes burning hot.